Redlands gun enthusiast fires up local airwaves

SAN BERNARDINO - As a child, Phillip Naman, like many boys, was fascinated by guns. He always wanted one, but his mother wouldn't allow it.

"She was anti-gun. I never had the Red Ryder (BB gun)," said Naman, 49, of Redlands.

Ultimately, though, that didn't stop the budding outdoorsman and firearms expert, who grew up in the Charter Oak area of the San Gabriel Valley.

As a teen, Naman got a job at Buckhorn Guns in Glendora, cleaning glass cases and emptying trash. On his 18th birthday, he bought himself a special present: a Winchester Model 70 hunting rifle.

"I still have it," Naman said.

The hobby stuck and became an integral part of Naman's life. He has taken his love of firearms to the local airwaves, hosting the talk show "Firing Line," which kicked off on KTIE-AM (590) in July.

The Dec. 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were fatally shot before the 20-year-old gunman killed himself, reignited the hot-button topic of gun control in the U.S. Gun sales soared as gun-control advocates demanded tighter regulations on gun sales and a ban on assault weapons.

Naman, a member of the Redlands Tea Party who operates Andrew Phillips Financial Services in Redlands, is against such measures and cites plenty of reasons. He expresses great disdain for politicians he feels use gun hysteria for political gain, singling out Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Two days after the Sandy Hook massacre, Feinstein pledged she would introduce new gun-control legislation at the beginning of the next congressional session - legislation Naman said Feinstein had drafted a year earlier.

"She waited until there were 20 dead kids, and now she feels she has a political momentum. That is somebody I think is deranged - that they would wait for a tragedy and then push their political agenda on top of it," Naman said. "I have a very, very difficult time trying to rationalize that activity."

Ladd Everitt, a spokesman for Washington, D.C.-based Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said such radio shows have a right to exist, and unless they say something particularly offensive, they're good for society.

"That's American democracy at work," Everitt said. "I think part of the wonderful thing that's happening post-Newtown is that for the first time really in my lifetime, our nation is having a really vigorous debate about our gun laws and how gun laws are impacting the really grotesque violence we're seeing."

There are many pro-gun radio shows in the country, Everitt said - but few or none advocating more gun control.

"We do need a little more balance," he said. "We're actually planning to launch what I think would be the first pro-gun-control show in America, which we hope to start by the end of the year. If not, by 2014."

Naman said "Firing Line" is more than a platform for him and other firearms aficionados to express their views. The show, which airs at 1 p.m. Saturdays, takes a comprehensive look at issues surrounding gun ownership, hunting and personal protection.

Naman's guests discuss topics ranging from gun laws to gun specifications to gun safety, and Naman also highlights local shooting events, including this weekend's Crossroads of the West Gun Show at the Ontario Convention Center.

During a recording of his most recent broadcast on Wednesday, Naman's guest was outdoorsman Jim Matthews, who writes about hunting, fishing, and firearms and whose columns have appeared regularly in The Sun and Daily Bulletin.

"We're trying to be an educational show without getting too technical. There are many laws regarding firearms that are being passed, and people need to know about them," Naman said. "If you're interested in sport and recreational shooting, gun collecting, or just want to know how to protect yourself, then this show is for you."